Interior designer, author, and television personality Nate Berkus is known for his knack for mixing colors, textures and unique finds. He shows us quick, simple ways to transform a work space into your space.

Marni Golden is the editorial director at StyleCaster (parent company to The Vivant), as she often spends well over three-quarters of her day in the office. (Ed note: Considering my desk tends to be a hodgepodge of discarded call sheets, gifts from events and constant clutter, a change was necessary). Her desk, pre-Nate Berkus intervention. Scary.

Berkus' tips for organizing your desk clutter: "First, a round tray if you have a corner workspace works great. A lamp, your pens, nail polish, and everything looks collected and neater on a tray.

A cork board ... is a way to corral everything that you need in a way that’s cute, especially if you can’t add things permanently to your space. Mixing in vintage things like a beautiful old vintage coffee cup is a great way to hold pens and different office supplies."

As for how to get the homey touch, Berkus suggests "a small rug, 2x3 or 3x5 if you feel like taking off your shoes. Your feet [won't be] on the wood floor, and you'll have something soft under your desk that is also a way of bringing in pattern."

"Take the time to build a great collection of coffee table books that mean something to you," Berkus suggests. "Then, coordinate your books by color and take advantage of any empty surface."

As far as hiding the clutter Berkus says: "Everything goes in a bin. Your inbox and your outbox should be something you take time picking out. I chose a simple woven one. This lizard box which is part of the [Target] collection holds all of your hand creams, cosmetics—the stuff you don’t want out on your desk. Decorative boxes are fantastic because they hold all of your personal stuff."

Don't forget to add comfortable touches to your workspace. Berkus says, "A woven placemat beneath your keyboard is great and it's soft to rest your hands on when you’re working on a computer. Plus, it also adds texture.

A lumbar pillow is a great way to update an office chair on top of updating the chair itself, as we did here with a more modern version. It's still simple and it doesn’t feel too decorated. It feels a little more homey than when we started. Everything has its place."

As for putting the finishing touches on your desk Berkus says, "I like framed photos in the workspace. Pick some interesting frames and I like the idea of doing black and white photos. A vase with fresh flowers is something really beautiful you can do for yourself at the start of every workweek. It makes Mondays a little less depressing."

"Ta-da!" Berkus says admiring the finished product. The takeaway from Berkus is figure out fun and luxe ways to organize your clutter, don't forgo comfort at work, and remember to treat yourself once in a while—you deserve it.

Berkus' second book The Things That Matter is available now on amazon.com. His 150-piece collection exclusively available at Target will debut October 21.

Office Makeover! Nate Berkus Shows How to Transform Your Workspace

While the temperature outside is cooling off for most of us this month, things are heating up for design guru Nate Berkus. His second book The Things That Matterhas just debuted, and his 150-piece collection, exclusive to Targetis hitting stores on October 21.The Things That Matter celebrates the idea that your home should tell your story and be comprised of objects that have personal meaning. The glossy tome features 12 eclectic homes that embody this philosophy, including his own New York City apartment and those of Fabiola Beracasa, The Glamourai’s Kelly Framel and Dr. Ruth Westheimer, among many notable others.
This got us thinking: We often spend well over three-quarters of our days here at the StyleCaster offices (StyleCaster being the parent company to The Vivant), so shouldn’t our work spaces be just as meaningful as our homes? Our desks tend to be fortresses of clutter, so we decided to see if Berkus was up to the challenge of transforming one of our workspaces into a place that mattered.
Needless to say, Berkus gladly accepted (he also didn’t have a choice as I’m his kid sister) and set about transforming the desk of one lucky editor—ahem, me —into a seriously chic workspace, using some of the fantastic pieces from his upcoming Target collection. (Ed. note: Considering my desk tends to be a hodgepodge of discarded call sheets, gifts from events and constant clutter, a change was necessary.)
Here, he walks us through a handful of simple steps to help make one office desk feel a little less like, well, an office desk. Read on for Berkus’ tips and to see the design star in action.Above portrait by Ben Fink ShapiroGrooming by Ben Thigpen, Artists by Timothy Priano